Nehemia Shtrasler

Bachar and Ben-Chelouche have set a dangerous, most negative precedent, which allows politicians to change a report of a professional committee according to the pressure that they'll be under. This is a first for Israel.

Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was out batting for Israel yesterday, meeting several finance ministers who have gathered in Washington for the International Monetary Fund's annual meeting.

WASHINGTON - The Israeli banks are to pay $500,000 for the opinion of an American consultancy, which found against the Finance Ministry's proposal to force the banks to sell off their mutual and provident funds.

WASHINGTON - As developed economies experience changes that make them more open and more competitive, so Israel is meeting the challenge of change too.

Amir Peretz did not manage to finish the strike on time - 8 A.M. yesterday - despite the National Labor Court's express order.

How arrogant do you have to be to become an overnight expert on the Israeli economy, ready to teach those children in the Middle East how to run their affairs?

At the three-way meeting - Sharon, Netanyahu, Poraz - that took place Sunday night, the prime minister sounded particularly angry. He said the biggest failure lay in the field of public relations - because now he is the guilty party.

In the run-up to the New Year, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suddenly discovered the poor. He said it was difficult to see the troubling pictures of people lining up to receive parcels for the holidays and the poor looking for food.

The Israel Manufacturers Association is like a pharmacist. Association president Oded Tyrah says that the new law to encourage capital investment significantly shrinks the package of investor benefits, which will drive down investments in Israel.

The banks are currently under general attack. The Knesset Economic Committee wants them to provide a basket of services for a cheaper flat fee and the Bachar committee wants to see them sell off their provident and mutual funds.

The most recent data published by the Government Employment Service wiped the smiles off faces at the Finance Ministry. It turns out that the number of job-seekers registered with the service rose 2.2 percent in July, to 233,000.

The goats. "Goats should be kept in the pen, not in the budget," said Limor Livnat. Her remark was directed at Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in response to the many cutbacks in his new budget.

Today cabinet ministers will struggle for hours against the cuts to their ministries, raise their voices, fume at and defame treasury officials. But in the hallway outside the meeting, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz will sit quietly eating burekas.

On Sunday, Ehud Olmert will submit his proposal to appoint Aharon Domb as head of his ministry's Investment Center. Domb would be in charge of a NIS 432 million budget.

We have enough of threats and intimidation, strikes and demonstrations, but holding up the salaries of municipal workers for such a long period is too much to bear. The heart says set the money free, give the local authorities what they demand.

Immediately after Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his 2005 budget, the attack started. It is natural for the opposition to attack the budget, for example when former Labor finance minister Avraham Shochat says that Netanyahu does not care about the social welfare situation, or Histadrut labor federation chairman Amir Peretz promises a full-scale war against the economic decrees.

Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's economic presentation to the cabinet yesterday had one main purpose: to prevent Labor's entry into the government. Netanyahu wants a minority government with a weak prime minister that will be dependent on him and his group of Likud rebels. With a little luck, he thinks, the government will totter until it falls, and he will beat Ariel Sharon in the primaries - and then go on to win the election.

After last week's aberration, when he bent in favor of the consumer and against the cell phone operators (on the network interconnection charges), Ehud Olmert quickly returned to his old ways.